Let Me Tell You the Story
by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: Lorcan's reliving the good ole days from story to hopefully another.


Note: Set in the US, Muggle!AU

* * *

 _April 3, 2068_

He traced his finger over the picture from the photo album in his lap. He was sitting in front of a large bus with his mouth open in laughter, Roxanne had her arm wrapped around his shoulders with a wide grin, Nina stood tall with her hands behind her back as she looked at the camera, and Gabriel was turning to the side and pointing a finger at him as if he was saying something. Behind them was a large double-decker bus colored silver and coral.

A soft smile graced his face as he thought about how young he and his friends were. How daring and adventurous they could be. He missed it.

"Grandpa Lor?" came a soft voice.

He looked to his side to see the angelic face of his granddaughter. She was staring at him with those wide, blue eyes she possessed.

"Whatcha doing?" she continued, tilting her head to examine the photo album in his lap.

Glancing back at the album to his grandchild, he smiled and said, "Reliving old memories, Talia. Makes an old man feel good to know that I have things to look back on."

Talia crawled up the chair and into his lap, taking the photo album in her own lap. Her mop of blonde curls tickled his face, but he didn't mind. She pointed to the picture he was looking at and shifted so she could meet his gaze.

"Whatcha reliving this for?"

He chuckled and kissed the top of her hair. "Your old man time traveled," he answered proudly.

She gasped, eyes growing wider than before. "Really?" she said. "You can do that, Grandpa Lor?"

With a grin, he nodded. "Sure can, Talia. Proved to your great uncle that I was way smarter than him and went on a _huge_ adventure through time."

The look his granddaughter was giving him told him all that he needed to know. He'd _have_ to tell her the story.

* * *

 _July 25, 2028_

"Who took the silver paint?" demanded Lorcan as he stomped from the garage with a can of paint in his hands. He held up the object. "I refuse to color my greatest invention with the likes of 'Perky Coral' paint!"

Lounging in a chair in the driveway, Roxanne raised her arms lazily to stretch. "I dunno, Lorcan," she drawled, a smirk growing on her face, "I think a perky color would look good on it."

Lorcan huffed, thinking that she wouldn't like it if he threw the 'Perky Coral' all over her. He had to trash that thought because Roxanne could and would kick his ass if he attempted to splash her with anything.

"I saw Lysander taking it inside for his display on molecular projection," Nina said while walking up the driveway. "If I'd known you were using it, I'd have stopped him."

"Molecular projection?" Roxanne asked with a brow quirked.

Nina shrugged. "He didn't like much else. It's what he's good at."

Lorcan waved it off dismissively. "He wouldn't have cared anyway, Nina," he said. "He's trying to prove he'll have the better project. I'm determined to prove him wrong."

"By painting?" the guy behind Nina said. "Surely you've done more than paint."

"Gabriel, if I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it," Lorcan replied.

Gabriel flipped his hair. "You asked for my opinion when we first met. Sorry, mate, you're stuck with me now."

"How lucky we are," Roxanne murmured from her chair. She turned to Lorcan. "When are you going to show us this thing?"

Lorcan set the paint can down, coral splotches hitting the pavement. "As soon as I finish coloring it," he said.

"And that will be…" Gabriel made circles with his hand.

"Soon."

Nina clasped her hands together, leaning forward on her toes. "I can't wait to see it!"

"I can't wait to make fun of it," Roxanne said.

Lorcan scoffed, heading back into the garage. He didn't have the rest of the silver paint that he wanted, but he was getting anxious to test out his theory himself. His hair had to be frizzy and shooting everywhere because he felt like a mad scientist right then.

He couldn't wait. He had to show off his invention.

Grabbing the keys hung on the wall, Lorcan walked out of the garage and headed for the backyard; it was the only place he could hide his invention from the others without anyone knowing. They had a big house thanks to his mum and dad's professions.

All eyes were on Lorcan, and he opened the gate to the backyard. He stopped, facing the large project hidden by a lot (and he meant a lot) of sheets.

He flexed his fingers, cracking his neck. "Let's do this," Lorcan said to himself. He turned around and cupped the sides of his mouth as the sheets fell to the ground. "Come here, guys!"

It wasn't long before Nina, Gabriel, and Roxanne came past the gate and looked at the tall structure before them.

Nina stared at it with her mouth open. Gabriel blinked a couple times and cleared his throat. Roxanne held her stomach as she laughed silently.

"Your project...is...a _bus_?" she said through her laughter. "Where in the hell did you find a double-decker bus in the states?"

Lorcan waved a finger at Roxanne. "It's not just any bus," he told her. "It's a time traveling bus! I call it The Knight Bus." He waved his hand in the air for a dramatic effect. "And I know a guy that knows a guy that has a thing for rare vehicles."

"What kind of name is that?" Gabriel questioned, a small frown on his face.

Nina folded her arms and hummed. "It's not that bad," she said. "Like we're fighting through time or something."

Lorcan snapped his fingers and pointed at Nina. "Exactly." He faced Roxanne and Gabriel. "See? She gets it."

Gabriel waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever. This couldn't possibly work."

"What's fueling it?" Nina asked.

Roxanne snorted. "The same thing that fuels his brain. Air."

The blonde sniffed indignantly. "I got some compressed alloys and infused them with the motor like a battery charge," he explained.

While Nina nodded in understanding, Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And you acquired these compressed alloys from…?" Roxanne inquired.

Lorcan played with the keys in his hand. "The lab...at my dad's Scientology wing at the Discovery Center."

"This is the most mindless thing you've ever done," Gabriel exclaimed.

"It's the greatest thing I've ever done," Lorcan retorted. "You coming in or what?"

He didn't wait for their answer, only opening up the half colored bus and going inside. Sure, the top half was silver and the bottom was an ugly cherry red, but he'd get past that once he took in the image of the interior.

The seating was padded in scarlet duvet, and the backs were black lined in silver stitching. The control panel on the front was a dark navy blue, the buttons lighting up in copper and gold.

"Holy mother of Jesus," came Nina's voice behind him. She was staring through the door in awe.

"Lemme see!" Gabriel cried, pushing his way through.

Roxanne slapped the back of Gabriel's neck, earning a 'Yeow!' from the brunette. "Don't be disrespectful to the ladies," she scolded.

Nina shook her head amusingly and looked around. "How did you do all this?" she asked, feeling against the seats and padding.

"Magic," Lorcan responded with a smirk.

Roxanne and Nina gave him knowing looks.

"My mum might have helped out a bit with the color choices," he muttered.

Gabriel plopped down in the driver's seat, hands on the wheel. "Look at me! I'm a double-decker bus driver!"

"More like double-decker asshole," Roxanne muttered.

Lorcan had to resist a snort. He was going to start explaining the mechanics inside the bus when he heard the rumble of the engine and the door shutting. He turned his attention to the driver's seat where Gabriel tried to look innocent.

"Can't let you out of my sight for one second, Finch-Fletchley?" Roxanne shook her head, grabbing one of the bars to keep herself steady.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Nina groaned, clutching her stomach as she sat down in one of the seats.

Lorcan slapped his forehead. "For crying out loud, man, I thought I was bad on pushing buttons!"

"You can't just expect me to _not_ push the big red button!" Gabriel argued.

Lorcan glanced out the window watching as the backyard merged in colors. While he was happy and ecstatic that the bus seemed to be working like it was supposed to, he was not happy that it was Gabriel that pressed the button first. And he had no idea where they were going.

Oh crap. Not _where_ they were going. _When_.

"Gabriel!" he called to the front, the speed from the bus was making him lose his balance, so he had to hold onto the bar. "What's the number on the screen?"

"The number of punches I'm going to give him?" Roxanne answered.

"Please don't!" Nina screamed, holding onto the seat.

It took Gabriel a while to find the numbers (Lorcan was going to strangle him because they were _right in front of him_ ), but when he did, he called out to the others.

"There's a nine and a four!" he said.

Lorcan shook his head. _Crap_. They were going to 1994.

* * *

 _Date Unknown, 1994_

The bus had finally stopped, and everyone inside was trying to catch their breaths. Lorcan had a hand on his chest while Nina flopped to the ground. Roxanne leaned against the bar she was holding, and Gabriel planted his face on the steering wheel.

"When I get my legs back," Roxanne started, "I'm going to kill you, Gabe!"

Gabriel didn't lift his head an inch. "How was I supposed to know the bus would start? Lorcan still had the keys in his hand."

Lorcan shifted his head just enough in Gabriel's direction to give him a glare. "That's to unlock the doors! If you didn't try pressing stuff before hearing me out, you would have known that!" He placed a hand on his forehead. "Now I know how Lysander feels," he muttered to himself. "Oh God, The Knight Bus looks a mess on the outside. You just sent us to the past in an ugly bus!"

Nina looked up from the floor where she was laying. "It's not that bad, Lor," she ensured him.

"How far into the past are we?" Roxanne asked, stumbling forward before gaining her footing. "Why couldn't we go somewhere cool in the future."

"Cause there's an idiot behind the wheel," Lorcan answered, straightening up as well. "Ladies and idiot, welcome to 1994."

He looked out the window, seeing how things were so different yet so similar. The neighborhood was still the name, with the exception of a double-decker bus in the backyard of the large house. People on the other street were wearing flannel patterns and jeans that were wide at the bottom, hair was long and beaded with clips and things. Now he knew why his mom liked these years so much.

"Should we go and check it out?" Roxanne asked, looking through the window next to Lorcan.

"It wouldn't hurt to look, I think," Gabriel piped in.

Roxanne whipped her head in his direction. "You're the mindless one, bringing us here in the first place, so your opinion is invalid."

A huff was all he responded with.

Nina bit her lip. "I don't know, guys. It could be dangerous to mess with the past in a big thing like this."

Lorcan was deep in thought. It'd be fricking awesome to leave the bus and yell out 'Right on!' without it being an issue, but Nina was right. If they messed with anything without knowing if it's malleable or fixed on the timeline, they'd be screwed.

"We should get back," he said finally. When it looked like the others were going to protest, he shook his head. "We will be back. I promise. Just gotta figure out the right time and the right plan."

"Am I with Lorcan or Lysander?" Gabriel teased.

Roxanne rolled her eyes. "Yeah, let's get back before I decide to leave Gabe in 1994."

Nina raised her hand, sitting in the seat properly with her hand gripping the pole. "With Lorcan behind the wheel," she added. "Please?"

Gabriel looked offended, and Lorcan looked accomplished. "Let's go back to the future, finish polishing up this bad boy, and then The Knight Bus will be in effect for whatever year we choose!"

The others cheered before getting into position. Lorcan handled and pressed the right things before the bus geared up and zoomed through time.

* * *

 _April 3, 2068_

He sighed in content. After that day, things were never the same. In a good way, though.

"Did you go back, Grandpa Lor?" Tatia asked him.

Lorcan chuckled and nodded, looking down at the album at the photo. "We did. I had to use that horrid coral color to finish painting, but your great aunt Nina helped make it a cute design."

Tatia giggled and turned the page in the album, looking at another photo. He was standing in front of the bus again with Roxanne with a tall, furry thing looking crazy.

"What's that?" she said.

He remembered that picture and moment vividly. "That's when your grandpa met Bigfoot."

She gasped. "He's _real_?" she emphasized the last part in a whisper.

Lorcan nodded. "Sure is. I'll tell you the story."

Tatia clapped happily causing Lorcan to smile brightly. He doesn't mind reliving these memories through a photo album or through storytelling; they were some pretty great memories.

* * *

A/N: Written for QLFC and HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)

(QLFC) Team: Wigtown Wanderers; Position: Chaser 1; Prompt: Use Method of Time Travel - Back to the Future (Manmade device); Additional Prompts: (color) coral, (word) mindless, (dialogue) "He didn't like much else."

(HSWW) Assignment #10 Careers Advice Task 3 - write about looking through a photo album

Word Count: 2,290


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